Ch. 636..640: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 636-640
Chapter 636
"Yes, love? What's up?" Vernon asked right after he swallowed his food. "I'm having breakfast here with Mackie. She said that you're going to the tenth floor to give pancakes for Dorothea."
"Vernon, where are they?!" Chloe asked without even trying to hide her worry. "I knocked on their door and nobody was inside. Did you actually kick them away last night? Oh god, Vernon, how can you be so cruel?!"
Vernon rolled his eyes. He sipped his herbal tea and replied, "Go to thirteenth floor, Suite room number three and four. I told the staff to move them to the suite rooms with a connecting door, so it's not hard for Dorothea to watch over those boys."
"Wait, so you mean--"
"Yeah, I'm not that evil, love," Vernon said lightly. He stared at Mackie who was eating her pancake happily, blissfully unaware of the big thing they were discussing on the phone right now. "I asked Dorothea last night if she wants to take care of those boys so I can see whether she is a changed woman or not. If you want to visit them, go do it now, but I demand you to return to the penthouse after that. I'm not going to see you miss your breakfast."
"Ah, o--okay, I'll deliver these pancakes to them and rush back to the penthouse!" Chloe said.
"Good, I'll wait for you at the dining table."
Beep.
--
Chloe was so happy that she could explode right now. She was thinking about moving out of the apartment with Mackie and the boys for some time, so Vernon could have his time alone.
But who would've expected that Vernon had a change of heart last night? He even decided to accept the boys, allowing Dorothea to take care of them so he could improve his opinion of her.
It was a win-win situation that Chloe always wanted!
Chloe rushed to the elevator and went to the thirteenth floor. She headed to Suite room number three and four and knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock.
"Dorothea, boys, It's me!"
The door was opened not long after, and Dorothea greeted her with a smile, "Good morning, Chloe."
"Good morning, Aunty!"
"Morning, Aunty!"
"Aunty, I want to eat!"
Chloe felt her heart could explode with joy when she saw the boys seemed to be in a better mood after getting to know Dorothea. It was a relief because she thought making the boys accept Dorothea would take longer.
But it seemed they took Dorothea as the replacement for their Gran, who died last night.
"Morning everyone! I'm here with breakfast!" Chloe said cheerfully. She pulled her wheeled container in as Dorothea gave her way to enter the suite. The boys were so excited about breakfast that they circled around Aunt Chloe and the big food container.
"Breakfast!"
"Whoo! Finally, breakfast, I'm starving!"
"Yay!"
"Yes, boys, we will have pancakes for breakfast, and don't worry about lunch. Grandma Dorothea and I will cook a big lunch for all of us!"
The boys cheered even louder. They jumped on their respective chairs and dug the warm pancake drenched with maple syrup. It had been a while since they had breakfast.
Usually, they'd only have lunch or dinner, and that was all for a day since Gran always told them they didn't have money to buy more food.
Chloe looked at the three boys digging their food and asked Dorothea, "Where's Aaron?"
"He's still busy cleaning the next room. I told him that I will clean it myself, but he insisted because he said it's his brothers' mess," Dorothea said. She looked concerned and leaned forward to whisper in Chloe's ear, "I'm worried about him. He is too calm for his age. This morning, I told them that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Chloe asked me to take care of them all, and Aaron was the one who pacified his brothers so they'd relax their guards against me. He is very mature, but I can see that he has a lot of anxiety in his eyes. Please talk to him, okay?"
Chloe nodded.
She was also worried about Aaron.
That six-year-old boy had experienced a traumatic event nobody should ever experience in their life, so something must've changed inside him.
'Maybe I should book a child psychologist for Aaron,' Chloe thought.
She entered the other room via the connecting door and saw Aaron finished making the big bed all by himself.
He wiped the sweat on his forehead and continued to clean the room that had become a mess since the three boys might be too much to handle.
Chloe saw that Aaron tried to pick up the scattered snack wraps on the floor, and then she joined.
Aaron was surprised when he noticed his Aunt, "Ah, I'm sorry, Aunty. I didn't know that you're here."
"No, it's fine," Chloe said as she put all the snack wraps in the trash bin. "Aaron, you should join your brothers. I made pancakes for breakfast."
"Um, thank you, Aunty, but I will eat after all of them finish their breakfast," Aaron replied. He stood beside his Aunt, like a little soldier ready to be dispatched to do menial tasks.
Chloe pointed at the long couch and said, "Go sit there, Aaron. I want to talk with you."
"Okay, Aunty."
Aaron sat obediently, waiting for the next order from his Aunt. He watched how his Aunt ensured everything was clean before joining him on the long couch.
"Aunty, did I do something wrong?" Aaron asked cautiously. "Why do you want to talk with me?"
Chloe stared at her oldest nephew for a while. Amongst all the boys, Aaron was the calmest. Even though he was younger, he was even more mature than Mackie, and that was concerning.
"Aaron, I'm sorry that you can't join me and Mackie in the same apartment, but you can stay here permanently with your brothers, okay?" Chloe said. "And Grandma Dorothea will take care of you and your brothers, and don't worry about playing with Mackie, you will be able to play with her when she's on in school."
Chapter 637
"Um, I understand, Aunty," Aaron said. Chloe noticed that Aaron tried to act normal and accepting as always, but he lowered his head because he was sad. Chloe decided not to confront him about this because she wanted to continue learning about her oldest nephew.
"But you don't need to worry about school," Chloe said. "You will go to the same school as Mackie. Your little brothers are too young to go to primary school, so they will go to kindergarten and pre-school, okay?"
Aaron simply nodded because he knew Aunt Chloe wouldn't hurt him and his brothers. He was also secretly happy because he could be in the same school as Boss Mackie, so his Boss could protect him when he was bullied.
In his previous school, Aaron got bullied because he was very poor. He had a few friends, but he wasn't close to them. He could never join them in activities outside of school because he had to care for Gran at home.
Chloe continued observing the boy and then patted his head. Aaron felt very comfortable being patted by his Aunt.
Aunt Chloe's magical touch made him feel comfortable and safe around her. Unfortunately, he didn't get this from anyone except his late Gran Judith and Aunt Chloe. Not even Grandma Dorothea gave this comfortable and safe feeling in his heart.
Speaking about Grandma Dorothea…
Aaron lifted his head and stared at Chloe, "Aunty, about Grandma Dorothea…."
"Grandma Dorothea is Uncle Vernon's mother. She lives with us to spend her old days," Chloe said. "She's a kind woman, you can rely on her to take care of your brothers as well."
"Uncle Vernon is that scary Uncle from last night, right?" Aaron asked.
Chloe giggled, "He's sure scary, right?"
Aaron nodded in response.
"Well, he's very intimidating. But Uncle Vernon is not a bad person. This building is his, and he's the one who allows us to live here together. He's also the one who will help you to transfer school as well," Chloe said. "He is a good person, he just has a big figure and rarely smiles!"
Aaron stared at his Aunty for a while and then asked, "Aunty loves that scary Uncle very much."
"E—Eh—?! W—What do you mean, Aaron?" Chloe panicked when the little boy suddenly could read her heart.
"Um… you are so happy when talking about that scary Uncle," Aaron said. "I'm also happy as long as Aunty is happy too. Aunt Chloe looks healthier with Uncle Vernon than with Uncle Vincent."
Chloe was embarrassed that she had been exposed by the little boy. But he was right. She was much happier with Vernon, and though she rarely said it, she was indeed in love with him.
She thought she'd only see Vernon as the cute little brother she raised years ago when she dated Vincent.
But as time passed, Vernon showed her he was a big man now. He had his own thoughts and was adamant about wanting to have Chloe by his side.
All of his adult qualities slowly melted her heart, and she began to develop romantic feelings for him.
Aaron saw that his Aunt was embarrassed by this, and he was assured that Aunt Chloe was happy.
Truthfully, Aaron never liked Uncle Vincent because Aunt Chloe looked sad and frail when she was still with Uncle Vincent.
Whenever she visited his home, she'd always put that joyful expression on her face, but he knew that Aunt Chloe wasn't happy at all.
Because Aaron sometimes caught her crying when nobody saw her.
Aaron was scared of Uncle Vernon, of course. Because Uncle Vernon was so intimidating, and he didn't even smile.
But he showed his care with gestures instead of sweet words, proving that Uncle Vernon was better than Uncle Vincent.
"Gran will be very happy, Aunty…." Aaron said. His words completely flipped the joyful mood as Chloe finally remembered her late mother, who died in Chelsea's hand.
She smiled bitterly. She was estranged from her mother, but it seemed Aaron and the other boys had fond memories of Judith.
"Really? Will she be happy with what I did?" Chloe asked. Though she knew the real answer was a big no. Judith hated her so much after she decided to leave Vincent.
"Um!" Aaron nodded excitedly. "I took care of Gran every day. She would say that she misses you a lot, and wished she could meet you again."
'To force me back to Vincent, of course,' Chloe lamented in her heart, knowing that her mother and sister had malicious intentions toward her.
Seeing the sadness on Aunt Chloe's face, Aaron took the initiative to take out something from his pocket.
"Aunty, eat this!" Aaron said as he handed candy to his Aunty.
Chloe looked at the candy in Aaron's hand and frowned, "I never know that you like sour candy."
"I don't like sour candy, Aunty!" Aaron replied. "But this is what Gran bought me when we went to the grocery store last night…."
Aaron's body trembled as he remembered his mother who killed his Gran again. It became a core memory that he couldn't forget and made him petrified on the spot.
Chloe noticed Aaron's tense expression and body. She quickly understood that Aaron had PTSD from what happened last night, so she hugged him tight and accepted the sour candy from his hand.
"So you went to the grocery shop with Gran, and she bought you this even though you don't like it?" Chloe asked, trying to shift the topic so Aaron would forget about that bad memory, but she knew that Aaron definitely need to go to child psychologist to treat his PTSD after this.
Aaron felt the warmth of Aunt Chloe when she hugged him. That bad memory gradually blurred in his mind, and he returned to somewhat normal again.
"Um, I don't like sour candy, but Gran wanted me to keep it, in case I meet you again," Aaron said. "She said Aunt Chloe loves sour candy so much."
Chapter 638
"She said that I love sour candy?" Chloe asked. She unwrapped one and put it inside her mouth. The sourness hit her tastebud and put her in a better mood instantly.
"Yeah, Gran said that Aunt Chloe loves sour candy, when you were a child, you'd often ask for sour candy as a reward for every housechore you did!" Aaron said.
Chloe laughed freely, "Well, she wasn't wrong. I loved sour candy so much when I was your age. Your Gran would buy me a pack of sour candy, but always hide it somewhere so I can't just grab it and eat it all. I'd have to do chores in order to get one sour candy per day."
Aaron nodded, "Gran told me to give the sour candy to Aunt Chloe in case I meet you again, so…."
"I see," Chloe smiled bitterly. "I wish she could give it to me by herself."
Aaron knew that Gran and Aunt Chloe's relationship wasn't good. They had a big fight when Aunt Chloe left Uncle Vincent, and after that, Aunt Chloe never visited them anymore.
Now that Gran wasn't here anymore, Aaron felt that Aunt Chloe had to know how much Gran missed her.
"Aunty, do you know that Gran always told me one thing about you?"
"Hm? What did she say about me?" Chloe asked. She was on guard instantly. She feared that her mother might've said something slanderous, mean, or even downright humiliating about her to Aaron.
"Gran said that you're her sweetest little girl," Aaron said. "You're forever the sweet little girl she carried, and the most beautiful!"
Aaron noticed that his words had a huge impact on Aunt Chloe because his Aunt's eyes began to glaze with tears. So he thought this was the right time to utter what Gran always wished since that last time Aunt and Gran had a fight.
"She loves you so much, and wishes to meet you again, because she wants to apologize for what she said wrong…." Aaron's voice began to shake as well. He truly loved his Gran. Though his Gran might not be the most perfect, she took care of him and his brothers when they were abandoned by their parents. "S—So, please… Aunty… please forgive Gran. She regrets everything she said to you, wu… wu…."
Aaron started sobbing as the fond memories of his Gran flooded his mind. He also remembered how his Gran tried her best to stop his Mommy from catching her. It was the biggest sacrifice that Aaron would never forget.
So he wanted to fulfill Gran's last wish: to reconcile with Aunt Chloe.
Chloe quickly wiped the tears on Aaron's cheek, but she herself started crying as well.
Though she didn't have a good relationship with his late mother. But Chloe always had a fond memory of Judith when she was young.
It was also the reason why she could never hate her mother, because she knew that deep down, Judith still had some good in her.
Aaron lifted his hands and tried to wipe the tears on Aunt Chloe's cheeks as well. They were wiping each other's tears, but in the end, they just hugged as Aaron cried in his Aunt's warm embrace.
Aaron had a lot of emotional trauma right now. He had been trying to stay tough in front of his brothers because he was the oldest and had to protect his little brothers.
But he was just a six-year-old kid. He was scared, traumatized, and wanted to cry like his brothers did.
Chloe held her nephew so tight, sharing the pain of losing the same person they loved. It was the first time Aaron felt peace after experiencing months of endless torment by his mother.
He truly wished he could turn back time and give Aunt Chloe's number to Gran, so she could call Aunt and they could be saved.
But there was nothing he could do now.
It was all too late.
"Aunty, can we meet with Gran again?" Aaron asked with his weak voice.
"We sure can. Your Gran is a good person. She will go to heaven and we will meet her there, okay?"
"Um…"
Aaron calmed down after getting hugged by his Aunty for a long time. Honestly, he wanted to be hugged for at least the whole day, but he knew that he couldn't hog his Aunt all for himself.
Aunt Chloe had to take care of his brothers, as well as Boss Mackie and Uncle Vernon.
Thus, Aaron separated himself from Aunt Chloe and said, "I feel better now, Aunty. I will eat with my brothers now."
Chloe wiped the dried tears on Aaron's cheeks and wiped hers as well. Then she smiled at him, "That's good, you should eat a lot. Don't worry about food here, okay? You can eat whatever you want as long as you brush your teeth after that."
"Okay! Thank you, Aunty!"
Chloe was relieved that the boys at least had an appetite, even after what happened last night. All of them were too thin for their age, especially Aaron, who looked scrawny and malnourished.
'I have to make sure they get enough nutrition. They've suffered long enough,' Chloe thought.
They went out via the connecting door together. Aaron joined his brothers to eat pancakes for breakfast.
Meanwhile, Chloe was about to leave when she was approached by Dorothea. The old woman held Chloe's hand and asked out of concern, "You cried just now. Is everything okay, Chloe?"
"Everything is okay," Chloe smiled. "I just had a heart-to-heart talk with Aaron. He told me about my late mother and how she wanted to reconcile with me. I know it's too late, but at least, I got to know that she didn't hate me in her last hour of life…."
"Oh, Chloe…" Dorothea hugged her daughter-in-law and patted her back. "You still have me. I may not be the best mom, but at least you should know how much I also want to make things right between us."
Chloe nodded, "Thank you, Dorothea. I know that you want to fix your mistakes. That's why I give you a second chance. Please take care of the boys, okay?
Sh
Chapter 639
Dorothea finally let go of her embrace once Chloe told her that Vernon was waiting for her in the penthouse. She saw how Chloe had a permanent smile as she mentioned Vernon, which also put a smile on the old woman's face.
'Vernon is well loved. I'm glad she can give him the love he deserves after growing up in a hell I created,' Dorothea thought. 'If only I can be part of their heaven....'
Dorothea stood still for a while until she felt a little hand grabbing some of her fingers.
"Grandma, Grandma!"
Dorothea looked down and smiled at Tony, the smallest one. He was only three years old, and he was the clingiest. He was also instantly close to Dorothea after she introduced herself.
Dorothea bent her back and patted his head, "Yes, Tony?"
"Um, my clothes feel itchy. Can I take a bath and get my clothes at home?"
"Oh, you can take a bath in a few hours, then I'll prepare a warm bathtub. Don't worry, I will ask your Aunt to buy all of you clothes later, okay?"
"Ah, warm bathtub? I can take a bath with hot water?" Tony asked. He tilted his head, "You won't scold me if I use hot water, Grandma?"
"Of course, not! You can use as much hot water as possible here! Nobody is going to scold you for taking a hot shower too!"
"Wow! Thank you, Grandma!" Tony returned to his brothers and announced they could use the hot water, and the boys cheered up.
Dorothea could only sigh as she watched how these boys would be so happy for something so menial.
Dorothea was born and grew up in a rich family. She never had the same struggle the boys had in their lives. So she wanted to ensure the boys knew they didn't need to worry about anything and just be happy. It was all they needed after living through hell.
**
Chloe rushed to the elevator and went up to the penthouse. She opened her palm while waiting for the elevator to reach the top floor.
Chloe stared at the sour candies in her hand, and her heart ached as she remembered her late mother again. She wanted to tell Judith that she always admired her for being a strong mother, and nothing would change that, even after they had a huge fight.
"You're always my beloved mother," Chloe said as she stared at the sour candies. "I hope you understand what I did by leaving Vincent is the best for me and Mackie. He is a terrible influence on everyone around him. He is toxic...."
Chloe was saddened that she couldn't say those words to her late mother. She wished that Judith would at least know how bad that man was. He didn't deserve to be called the best son-in-law she ever had.
Ding!
Chloe looked up once the elevator door opened, showing the penthouse door right across the corridor.
She clenched her fist and put all the sour candies inside her pocket, then said, "I hope you know that you will have a son-in-law much better than Vincent could ever be, and his name is Vernon Phoenix Gray."
Chloe unlocked the door with a passcode and then entered the penthouse.
She headed to the dining room and saw Vernon playing on his phone after breakfast. Mackie was nowhere to be found, but judging from her empty plate and mug, she must've eaten breakfast and gone downstairs to play.
Vernon glanced at Chloe, who had just arrived. He put his phone down and then got up from the chair. He stood before Chloe and asked with a frown, "What took you so long? I thought something might've happened to you there, so I just dispatched your usual driver to check on the thirteenth floor."
Chloe stared at Vernon for a while without saying a word. She felt she'd cry again, so she threw herself into him. Vernon caught her steadily, wrapping his arm around her waist, and asked worriedly, "Seriously, is everything alright?"
Chloe buried her face in Vernon's muscular chest and nodded, "Everything is alright. I just want to thank you for everything you did, Vernon. You are truly a good person."
Vernon said nothing, but he wrapped his arm around her waist tighter. He felt a surge of electricity around his body and a wave of warmth inside his heart. It made him feel really comfortable, and he wished he could do more.
In fact, he wanted to do more just to make Chloe happy.
'As expected, I feel a lot better when I can make her happy,' Vernon thought. 'I could flip the world upside down if that would make Chloe feel at ease. Surely, I don't mind destroying that bastard brother of mine as long as Chloe would hug me like this, thank me, and say that I am a good person.'
Vernon knew that, at some point, he might've spoiled Chloe too much.
But he didn't care.
As long as Chloe was happy, then so did he. Even if that meant he had to compromise on many things, just like how he compromised with Dorothea.
Chloe looked up and then stared at the handsome man who embraced her. Their eyes met as they stared at each other for a long time, then Chloe muttered, "I love you, my sweet Vernon."
Chloe's voice was low and weak. It was almost inaudible even.
But Vernon heard everything, and her sentence shook his body to the core. He started trembling, trying his best to suppress his urge to do something to Chloe that he might regret.
Chloe smiled at him and took the initiative to kiss him softly, "I hope that's enough--Wha--Umffh!"
Chloe was surprised when Vernon suddenly leaned down and gave her a deep kiss full of passion. She struggled at first but soon gave herself in as she started enjoying the deep kiss.
She closed her eyes and wrapped her hand around his neck to deepen the kiss.
Chapter 640
and a kiss on the cheek at Mackie.
But the moment he left the penthouse, his smile disappeared because he knew today would be exhausting.
He drove to his office and met with Diamond in the elevator. Vernon stood in the middle of the elevator. Diamond stood right behind him with a folder she hugged on her chest, indicating this folder was a top secret that shouldn't be leaked.
There was silence in the elevator until Vernon asked, "Did you prepare everything?"
"I did, Sir," Diamond replied. "Sir, I can see that your plan is great, but are you sure you can handle the repercussions? Vincent Gray will not like this."
Ding!
Vernon fixed his collar as the elevator door opened, "Don't worry, I am not scared of my Big brother, and I don't care if he's hostile to me after this, since half of his business partners are working with me right now."
Vernon walked to his office, followed by Diamond from behind.
Diamond was calculating over something in her head for a while and assured, "Then there is nothing you need to worry about, Sir. The timing is also perfect, since people are making fun of Chelsea over her joker-like face, it's basically a guarantee failure for Vincent's new cosmetic product."
Vernon sat on his executive chair, he leaned back, but his eyes were still on Diamond, who stood across the office desk.
"Do you get everything ready? Because we will launch this product in a few hours. I want all of those influencers to upload their videos as soon as possible, and also get the billboard ad ready. I want that ad to be all over Times square."
"Yes, I've prepared everything, Sir, it's not hard to do," Diamond said. "Besides, today is actually the due date for the ad. All we do is follow orders from the client, right?"
Vernon imagined the horror in his Big brother's eyes, and that actually brought a smile to him, "Yes, just do things according to our very important client's schedule, I bet he will love seeing that ad everywhere."
**
Vincent had a good sleep last night. After telling Chelsea to kill her entire family, Vincent returned to his mansion. He told the maid to bring a mini fridge full of booze into the master bedroom.
Thus, he partied by himself, eating and drinking while dancing around on the bed. He laughed freely as he felt satisfied, thinking that Chelsea must've murdered her entire family by now, and someone must've called the police.
And after that, Chloe would get the news that her old mother and four little nephews had been murdered in cold blood by her insane sister.
He knew that Chelsea might be trying to use his name to get out of jail. But there was zero proof of them having any kind of relationship except that they were in-laws.
Besides, everyone would see Chelsea as an insane bitch who killed her family. There was no need to believe her words.
Vincent imagined the pain on her face. Maybe she fainted, or even better, got a heart attack and died because of this.
'Oh, don't die yet. I haven't tortured her enough. I haven't even got the chance to fuck her again,' Vincent thought as his consciousness slowly drifted away last night.
Vincent got up in the late afternoon after he heard the nonstop knock on the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Urgh, I will fucking kill whoever is knocking at my door," Vincent complained as he got up. He had a bad hangover after consuming way too much booze last night.
He tried to get up and then sat on the bed for a long time before he walked to the door and opened it.
He thought it was one of the maids, but it was actually Secretary Maria.
"Ugh, is it about work again? Just delay everything for today, my head is hurting," Vincent said as he returned to the bed. He massaged his head while waiting for Maria to speak.
Secretary Maria stared at the mess around the master bedroom. Empty bottles of alcohol were scattered everywhere, alongside some boxes of pizza and empty wraps of burgers. Vincent was shirtless, but he was still wearing the same trousers since yesterday.
The TV had been smashed somehow, but the wedding picture of Chloe and Vincent hanging right above the TV was intact.
Vincent was a mess, and Maria seriously hated how this man was not on the same level as the late Vaughn Gray.
Her real boss, Mr. Vaughn Gray, was also a debauched bastard like Vincent, but he was still competent with his profession, and if he wanted to do something, then he'd do it perfectly, unlike this man.
Maria remembered the first time she witnessed Mr. Vaughn Gray make an elaborate plan to kill one of his business rivals. It was so clean that Maria was impressed by his skill, vowing to dedicate her life to working with him because she had never found someone as professional yet so cold-blooded as Mr. Vaughn Gray.
Maria looked at Vincent with disgust, 'Now looking at his son, I think Dorothea's gene has muddled Mr. Vaughn Gray's talent, because Vincent is not as good as his late father.'
Maria stepped into the master bedroom. Her heels stepped on a bunch of shattered glasses on the floor, and she stood in front of Vincent.
Vincent looked up, "What?"
"We have a problem--well, two actually. But the first one is much more severe than the other one," Maria said.
"Then tell me the severe one first, I don't have enough energy to solve the problems at once," Vincent said.
"This is about the cosmetic ads job that you gave to your stupid little brother," Maria said.
"Uh--huh, and what about it?" Vincent asked. He remembered giving that job to Vernon. It was another small job to see if his little brother could handle that project. "Is there anything wrong?"
Maria said nothing but flipped her phone and then showed the screen at Vincent, "Everything went wrong since the moment you hired him for the job."